COVID19 and the city; from the short term to the long term

Unraveling the dynamic impacts of COVID-19 on metro ridership: An empirical analysis of Beijing and Shanghai, China

The outbreak of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) has had severely disruptive impacts on transportation, particularly public transit. To understand metro ridership changes due to the COVID-19 pandemic, this study conducts an in-depth analysis of two Chinese megacities from January 1, 2020, to August 31, 2021. Generalized linear models are used to explore the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on metro ridership. The dependent variable is the relative change in metro ridership, and the independent variables include COVID-19, socio-economic, and weather variables. The results suggested the following: (1) The COVID-19 pandemic has a significantly negative effect on the relative change in metro ridership, and the number of cumulative confirmed COVID-19 cases within 14 days performs better in regression models, which reflects the existence of the time lag effect of the COVID-19 pandemic. (2) Emergency responses are negatively associated with metro system usage according to severity and duration. (3) The marginal effects of the COVID-19 variables and emergency responses are larger on weekdays than on weekends. (4) The number of imported confirmed COVID-19 cases only significantly affects metro ridership in the weekend and new-normal-phase models for Beijing. In addition, the daily gross domestic product and weather variables are significantly associated with metro ridership. These findings can aid in understanding the usage of metro systems in the outbreak and new-normal phases and provide transit operators with guidance to adjust services.

The Relationship between Social Mentality and Health in Promoting Well-Being and Sustainable City

In the context of the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19), people's social mentality and mental health have been severely affected, which has hindered or even reversed the achievement of the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). However, there is a lack of investigation into the potential relationship between social mentality and health, as well as of the comparison between different databases worldwide and in China, in the current context of COVID-19. Hence, the aim of this paper is to explore the research hotspots and development trends of social mentality and health in China and worldwide, while improving people's health, building a sustainable society, and facilitating the achieving of the SDGs. A bibliometric method is employed in this paper from a macro-quantitative and micro-qualitative perspective to explore the research hotspots and trends of social mentality and health in the world and China from the two databases, namely the English-language Web of Science (WOS) and the Chinese-language China National Knowledge Infrastructure (CNKI). The results indicate that: (1) By using keyword co-occurrence and clustering analysis via the CiteSpace software bibliometric tool, 11 current research hotspots have been identified and studies are increasing in terms of using the Chinese language and the English language. (2) The current studies in the CNKI database mainly focus on the macro social environmental factors affecting social mentality and population research, while the studies in the WOS database pay more attention to social mentality and health in the context of the COVID-19 epidemic situation and a variety of professions. Hence, future research could explore the influencing factors and cultivation methods toward a healthy social mentality from the perspective of methodology and toward achieving SDG 3, providing healthy lives and promote well-being for all at all ages, and SDG 11, building sustainable cities and communities in the post-pandemic COVID-19 era.

Strategic Assessment of Neighbourhood Environmental Impacts on Mental Health in the Lisbon Region (Portugal): A Strategic Focus and Assessment Framework at the Local Level

Scientific evidence shows that each place/environment generates specific conditions with associated impacts on the mental health and well-being of the population. A holistic, multilevel and integrated environmental approach to mental health enhances the understanding of this phenomena, supporting the local decision-making processes to improve spatial planning of neighbourhood environments. The aim of this study is to develop a strategic assessment framework, based on four municipalities in the Lisbon Region (Portugal), that explores policy and planning initiatives capable of generating favourable neighbourhood environmental conditions for mental health while also detecting risks. Using baseline results of significant statistical associations between individuals’ perceptions of their neighbourhood environment and their mental health in the Lisbon Region, a Strategic Focus on Environmental and Mental Health Assessment framework (SEmHA) was built, by applying the methodology “Strategic Thinking for Sustainability” in Strategic Environmental Assessment, developed by Partidário in 2012. Taking into account the promotion of the population’s mental health, four critical decision factors of neighbourhood environments were identified: (1) public space quality (e.g., improving sense of place), (2) physical environment quality (e.g., low levels of noise exposure), (3) professional qualification and creation of economic activities (e.g., attracting new economic activities), and (4) services and facilities (e.g., improving access to health and education services). The proposed strategic focus and assessment framework contributes to ensuring that interventions in neighbourhood environments truly achieve community mental health benefits and reduce inequalities, thus helping policy makers to assess impacts at the local level.

COVID-SCORE Spain: Public perceptions of key government COVID-19 control measures

BACKGROUND

Spain was initially one of the countries most affected by the COVID-19 pandemic. In June 2020, the COVID-SCORE-10 study reported that the Spanish public's perception of their government's response to the pandemic was low. This study examines these perceptions in greater detail.

METHODS

We employed an ordered logistic regression analysis using COVID-SCORE-10 data to examine the Spanish public's perception of ten key aspects of their government's COVID-19 control measures. These included support for daily needs, mental and general health services, communication, information and coordination, which were examined by gender, age, education level, having been affected by COVID-19, and trust in government´s success in addressing unexpected health threats.

RESULTS

´Trust in the government´ showed the greatest odds of positive perception for the ten measures studied. Odds of positive perception of communication significantly varied by gender, education level, and having been affected by COVID-19, whereas for information and coordination of disease control, odds significantly varied by gender and having been affected by COVID-19. Odds of positive perception for access to mental health services significantly varied by gender and education level. Age was not significant.

CONCLUSION

Public perception of the government's pandemic response in Spain varied by socio-demographic and individual variables, particularly by reported trust in the government. Fostering public trust during health threats may improve perception of response efforts. Future efforts should tailor interventions that consider gender, education level, and whether people have been affected by COVID-19.

Impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on travel behavior in Istanbul: A panel data analysis

The COVID-19 pandemic, which was reported in early January 2020 in China and spread rapidly around the globe, will certainly remain as one of the most impactful disruptive events of the 21st century. To contain the spread of the virus while awaiting a vaccine, countries applied different approaches from simply giving advice on personal hygiene and applying progressive measures to total lockdown. This paper aims to investigate the impacts of the pandemic on travel behavior in Istanbul, Turkey, through a longitudinal panel study conducted in three phases during the early stages of the epidemic and pandemic. The paper reflects the travel behavior evolution during the development of the outbreak resulting from residents' self- regulation and governmental measures, distinguishing travel for commute, Social/Recreational/Leisure (SRL), and shopping activities, as well as use of different travel modes based on various socio-economic characteristics. Due to the application of the social distancing of at least 1.5 m, closure of numerous non-essential venues, encouraging teleworking and distance education, job losses and cancellation of all social gatherings in Istanbul between the second and third phase of our data collection, the transition in travel activity pattern and transport mobility appears to be quite extreme, particularly for commuting and SRL trips.